[daffa]

Being a non-native English speaker, sometimes it is not easy for me to understand several terms used here in HeadFi forums particulary those used for comparing headphones and amps. Could somebody explain these terms, or is there a general consensus on their definitions :

- warm
- colored
- more forward
- laid back
- analytical
- smooth
- musical
- disjointed
- tonal balance
- accuracy
- recessed highs
- and other terms perhaps

I also want to know how somebody can explain the headphone sounds by their frequency (Hz). How to measure it?

I know I can differentiate the sounds from my existing headphones (Grados and Senns) but I don't know how to explain the differences based on those terms. Or perhaps my ear is not audiophile enough. I am waiting for my W1000, ATH-A100, and Sony CD3K and I am eager to give my own impression too.

Peace
DJ

 

[Vertigo-1]

Nothing special to the words...you eventually pick up on it after reading enough, and writing a few reviews.

- warm - a deliberate bump up in the midrange

- colored - various parts of the frequency spectrum for said audio product sticks out like a sore thumb. An obvious coloration usually leads to an obvious signature sound for a certain product, or company sometimes.

- more forward - can be used to reference soundstaging or tonality. Forward soundstaging means things sound like they're playing right on your nose...the closer something is imaged, the more "forward" it is. For tonality, the more forward a part of the frequency spectrum is, the louder it is. i.e. A forward treble means the treble is noticeably louder than a reference amount of treble. Grado's headphones are an excellent example of all of this.

- laid back - direct opposite of forward for soundstaging and tonality. Things that are imaged farther away from you are "laid back". Laid back tonality means a part of the frequency spectrum is quieter than a reference point. i.e. Laid back treble means the treble is noticeably softer than a reference point. Sennheiser's headphones are a good example of all this.

- analytical - means the said item is very good at tearing apart recordings and revealing all flaws, or contains a sound that is very dry and unpleasing for long term listening. Could be considered the opposite of warm and "musical", and thus is usually considered a fatiguing quality.

- smooth - said item doesn't produce a sound that sounds broken up into a zillion pieces. Also could mean a sound that doesn't sound bright, harsh, or rough.

- musical - considered one of the most overused and stupidest audio terms ever. Usually used by reviewers to describe unexplainable euphonics produced by audio gear, a higher order of aural bliss. The exact definition remains uknown to date. Definitely connected though to PRaT, Pace, Rythm, and Timing.

- disjointed - said product produces uneven sounds, particularly noticeable in tonal balance. Usually means said product has bad transition between tonal regions.

- tonal balance - the meat and potatoe of most reviews...the basic treble, bass, midrange, and all areas in between these three.

- accuracy - said product gets the timbre right. i.e. cymbals sound like cymbals and not white noise, drums sound like drums and not like fart bags, violins sound like violins and not like nails on a chalkboards, etc.

- recessed highs - same thing as laid back highs. Different from rolled off highs though.

- and other terms perhaps - lesson over for the day...

This is not an exhaustive definition list by any means, just what I think the words mean. Everybody has different ways of interpreting these words usually...

 

[daffa]

Thanks Vertigo. I guess some of those words are understood differently by musicians and non musicians.

 

[JMT]

Here is an article that you might find useful:

Stereophile Glossary

 

[mikeg]

Quote:

Originally posted by JMT Here is an article that you might find useful: Stereophile Glossary

I clicked on link, but no glossary. Just got Stereiophile banner.

 

[JMT]

I just clicked and it worked fine. Give it a couple of seconds.

 

[kelly]

I printed out that Stereophile glossary a little while ago and read through it. I found myself disagreeing with about 20% of their definitions (compared to my own understanding of the definition) and also feeling that another 20% disagreed with my perception of the average Head-Fi'ers definition (there was some overlap, obviously).

Here's another forum suggestion (because everyone loves it when I make suggestions, not):

What if we had a forum called "Head-Fi glossary" and once a week a moderator could add a new topic (only mods could do this and only once a week). The topic would simply be a glossary term such as "warm." Everyone could then reply to the post, argue, debate, cite examples, etc. A similar idea was suggested for products but so far hasn't been implemented (I don't know whether there is intent to do so in the future).

In my opinion, just the basic list of terms daffa has asked for is already far too complex a topic for one thread.

 

[RickG]

Quote:

Originally posted by Vertigo-1 - musical - considered one of the most overused and stupidest audio terms ever. Usually used by reviewers to describe unexplainable euphonics produced by audio gear, a higher order of aural bliss. The exact definition remains unknown to date. Definitely connected though to PRaT, Pace, Rhythm, and Timing.

I know a lot of Head-Fi folks have a problem with this term. I guess I don't. To me, musical is just the opposite of analytical. Musical means the equipment disappears and you just tap your toe and enjoy the music. However, I don't think that musical or analytical have to necessarily be mutually exclusive of one another, nevertheless, they often are.

Just my oppinion...

 

[Pace]

Quote:

Originally posted by Vertigo-1 - musical - considered one of the most overused and stupidest audio terms ever. Usually used by reviewers to describe unexplainable euphonics produced by audio gear, a higher order of aural bliss. The exact definition remains uknown to date. Definitely connected though to PRaT, Pace, Rythm, and Timing.

I want to clear out that I have not used this term and it is outrageous that I'm connected to it!

 

[Calanctus]

Quote:

Originally posted by kelly I printed out that Stereophile glossary a little while ago and read through it. I found myself disagreeing with about 20% of their definitions (compared to my own understanding of the definition) and also feeling that another 20% disagreed with my perception of the average Head-Fi'ers definition (there was some overlap, obviously).

Definitions of many audio terms will be vague and subject to interpretation and variation--inevitably, since the very premise of our hobby is that objective measurements don't tell the whole story, and our own personal listening experience gives us information we can never get from measurements.

Measurable things can be defined precisely. Terms describing subjective experience will always be somewhat vague.

 

[wallijonn]

Daffa,

since music is the food of the soul, how would you define those terms into food or wine? after all, ultimately what you are describing is what taste the headphones left on your mouth.

my definition of "sweet" is definitely in contention with Stereophiles', perhaps approaching "smooth" instead.

hmmm, "woody" isn't mentioned; (as in "got a woody"

)

 

[andrzejpw]

Kelly: I thought of doing a dictionary along this line, but I always thought there wouldn't be much point, since stereophile already has one. . .

 

[ServinginEcuador]

As in lots of words, context determines its meaning. Therefore it is best to not only use the word, but make sure you clarify what you mean so as to convey your definition. This will clear up any ambiguity, and make it easier for others to read and understand what you are saying. As Kelly stated, many use terms differently than other, therefore when you read a review of a set of headphones and come across certain words you might get the wrong impression about them!!

For example. If I said my headphones are "forward" and left it at that someone might think that the musical presentation might be, as Vertigo said, sound as if they're playing more towards your nose in the soundstage. Others might take it to mean that the music ws interpreted in their brain as coming from in front of another instrument or singer. Musical is, as Vertigo said an overused and often misunderstood term. Spell out what you mean and there is no misunderstanding!!

Also don't discount the fact that people use terms that they don't know how to use properly. It can make you sound intelligent, but ultimately backfire!!

 

[HappymaN]

Hmmm...

kelly: You always use the term "blackness" - what exactly do you mean by this?

 

[kelly]

Happyman
Blackness is simply the absense of sound when there is supposed to be no sound. Amps that excel at this fall from even very complex sounds to total and complete silence the instant it is requested of them. The benefits of this include a sharper focus (between instruments), imrproved seperation (between notes) and better definition of space (the creation of real or even artificial walls) by allowing subtle reverb cues to be distinguished more easily. This is why HeadRoom Max owners will talk about the dimensions of a room but MG Head owners are less likely to. Superb blackness seems to be a byproduct of expensive power supply components. Cheaper power supplies tend to produce a sort of "hazy" noise that makes the blacks sound more grey. With the better amps, it would be impossible to tell that the amp is even on when no music is being produced. While many amps may seem to portrary this well with no music being played at all, the subjective ability to discern this difference comes while music is actually being played back and this quality is not simply synonymous with noise floor that universally impacts to the quality of sound.

Can of worms, I tell you. I know not everyone is going to agree with that definition.